Philip Morris: New Name, Same Game

The company sells macaroni and cookies, but “Philip Morris” spells “cigarettes” to most people. And with tobacco products accounting for 60 percent of its worldwide operating revenue, the marketer’s sales still reflect its legacy, although its name no longer does.

Last week, the 101-year-old company made good on a 2002 promise to change its name to Altria and launched a two-month campaign to get the word out.

The ads, to run on cable TV and in financial publications, use photographs of trees, bridges and waterfalls to draw parallels to the company and its business units.